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Lazarus52
Posts: 1
Joined: March 9th, 2011, 5:11 pm

Post by Lazarus52 »

:hmm: I don't expect rest of you to figure me out since I haven't got myself figured out yet either....and I've had over 58 yrs to do it :lol:

In anycase, hello Librivox family from the American heartland, Missouri. I was born in Saudi, raised in Portland, OR & Lakeside, CA (yes Kayray - near your stomping grounds). Have also lived in MT, FL, NY & AZ for various lengths of time & have traveled to Japan, Phillipines & Hong Kong as a member of the United States Navy.

While living in SoCal in my pre & early teens I was introduced to the public library. And given the conditions that had been, still were & would continue to be a part of my life (I'll not go into details), the euphoria of getting lost in books was like a wonderous narcotic. :9: I couldn't get enough & I've never recovered from that addiction. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older, physical conditions have required me to take several sorts of medications that have severely inhibited my ability to effectively read for extended periods of time (several paragraphs?). The effort to stay visually & mentally focused actually causes me to nod off momentarily (gah!). I was horribly frustrated until I made the wonderous discovery of Audiobooks!!! :clap:

Sadly though, they are often quite expensive for a person on disability & I was beginning to despair until, one day, out of the blue, I typed "free audiobook" into my favorite search engine & before you can say Jack Robinson, there was a link to a site that had perhaps hundreds of audiobooks to download, free of charge! And every one of them that I downloaded, showed that they originated from Librivox.org. Well, it was only a matter of time until I was going to get myself over here & check this place out!

I am so incredibly impressed by what all these brothers & sisters are doing, that I simply cannot adequately express my appreciation. The hard work (play?) & dedication of these people makes such a difference in the lives of so many. Books that I had been planning to read & then thought that I had lost the opportunity to enjoy, are now made a part of my future. Audiobooks make it possible for me to drive long distances without fear of falling asleep at the wheel. They really do make a difference in my life & I thank God for the people that are moved to use their talents in behalf of those of us that need their help.

I'm considering some brain surgery that may cause me to need fewer of the medications that I am currently taking. If that proves to be so, & my concentration improves adequately, I would feel honored to be a proof-listener or reader for Librivox.

In the meantime, I'll mostly be a lurker, learning what I can by reading comments posted by the learned veterens & the links they provide. I may also ask a question or two, such as: How does one discover when a book is due to pass from copyrighted to public domain status? I'm currently listening to a series where books 1, 2 & 4 are in the public domain but book 3 is (was?) apparantly still under copyright, so it was not read (Galactic Derelict by Andre Norton)

Again, bless you all for all you do & thank you for letting me "hang out" with you. You're great company :thumbs:
Samanem
Posts: 1524
Joined: May 14th, 2010, 5:33 am
Location: The Headwaters of the Everglades

Post by Samanem »

Welcome Lazarus52! I couldn't help but be struck by your message, sir - you have eloquently put into words the awe and gratitude that I believe so many of us feel upon discovering Librivox. It's such a grand and honorable use of the technology and gadgetry we have. I echo your sentiments, and give yet another cry of well done to those who conceived of and built this site and those who have nurtured it into the raging behemoth of awesomeness that it has become.

On behalf of everyone already here, we welcome you and wish you to feel at home! Lurk as you will! And if you ever have the slightest question, feel free to post it!

:clap:

Samanem
"I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening;
it is indeed wearisome sitting alone in the dark." ~ William Tyndale (1494-1536)
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Guero
Posts: 4696
Joined: June 17th, 2010, 1:28 pm
Location: The Big Apple
Contact:

Post by Guero »

Welcome to LibriVox! Your introduction brought tears to my eyes. I find what we do here as a fun hobby that has a positive effect on people I'll never meet. It's always encouraging and touching to be reminded in what ways our recordings affect people's lives. Thanks for telling us your story!
John
"...what kind of internal wiring in my grandmother's mind enabled her...To condense fact from the vapor of nuance." -- Neal Stephenson
vee
Posts: 585
Joined: October 10th, 2005, 7:35 pm
Location: Columbia, MD
Contact:

Post by vee »

Welcome lazarus. It has been forever since I've been on myself and hopefully, once I figure out what's changed, I can get back to volunteering.

Best of luck to you. Hope you keep finding recordings that keep you entertained.
Chris Vee
"You never truly understand something until you can explain it to your grandmother." - Albert Einstein
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